Not a Half-blood, Not a Hero
by Demon Lord Cashmere Snow
Summary: "Heroes don't exist, only inevitable circumstances and human nature." AU After the death of his mother, Percy forsakes Poseidon, choosing instead to become the first unmortal, a human whose blood has been blessed to such an extent that they are the equivalent of half-bloods in power. Pairings not set. Rated T for violence/language. Mercenary!Perseus, magic, prophecy breaking.


Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. However, in case you're wondering, it would make a very good birthday present and is at the very top of my wish list right between Harry Potter and Bleach.

Chapter 1 – Heroics

The room was dark. Percy Jackson, age 6, was crying. It was his birthday and although he hadn't had a party or received any presents, it was supposed to be a good day for him. The key phrase here being 'supposed to be'. Yet, there he sat; alone, crying in a blood soaked shirt.

It had started off like any other day. He had gotten up in the morning with his mother, had a light breakfast and gone to school. Things had changed however, when he returned.

Eager to get home, he had rushed back happily, running all the way. Bursting through the door he prepared to have fun with his mother and enjoy his special day. However, the scene he saw before him, was not one he had anticipated. He found his step-father, Smelly Gabe, now awake and already drunk, with his hand raised, ready to hit his mother, who was cowering in the corner, shivering.

He had lost his temper then and there. Dropping his bag, he charged with a yell, only to be intercepted with a powerful blow to the face. He crumpled, grabbing his nose, trying to stem the blood flowing readily and freely from it. He barely noticed the beer bottle shattered against his shoulder.

Just as his drunken, step-father made to stab him with the broken bottle, a shadow crossed his vision. Initially he had thought he was dead, done in by a broken beer bottle. When he came to, he saw his mother, eyes wide and full of shock. She had stepped in, taken the blow for him.

His mind went blank. There was blood, blood everywhere. He panicked holding his mother to himself and trying to force himself to be calm. She was alright, she HAD to be alright. She was his mother, after all. He held tightly and started to cry.

Minutes passed.

He looked up and saw his step-father paralyzed in a state of shock. It was his fault. He killed her. He would pay for it. He would make sure of it. Anger roared in his ears and his mind went blank from sheer rage.

Like a bubble, Smelly Gabe exploded in a rush of blood and bodily fluids, but he didn't care. Picking up the broken beer bottle that ended the life of the only person that mattered, he walked towards the remains and started stabbing his heart, repeatedly and continuously. She was gone. He was alone.

He held his mother to him for the rest of the day. Long after her body went cold, he held her close, looking for the warmth that she used to have. It had been his fault. Why had he interfered? If only he had come home later, at his usual time. Why had he tried to play the hero? This was all his fault.

And in that one instance, just as his heart shattered into tiny fragments, he became aware of two presences in the room. In front of him were two women, both studying him with frowns on their faces.

The woman closer to him was dressed in leather. She had a black jacket and jeans and was wearing shades. He could see a long scar stretched across her left eye. Her companion was a completely different story, clad in flowing purple robes with strange lettered patterns and strange silver earrings shaped like the Greek letter Omega with more letters inscribed within. Her eyes were a brilliant sky blue and held a certain soft mysticism to them. She like her partner had black hair that she had pulled into a pony tail that was spilling over her right shoulder.

"I am sorry for your loss, young Perseus." began the woman in black. "We could not help you then, but would like to do our best to help you now."

"But first," her partner picked up "We need to tell you a little about your true father, the one who abandoned your mother to this fate."

Perseus growled, he didn't want to talk, couldn't these strange women see that. As he listened, he felt rage well up inside him, they knew his true father? Who was the coward who had abandoned him and his mother to this god-forsaken fate (AN:That was a pun. God-forsaken, get it?)?

"Tell me" he croaked, voice hoarse after crying. "Who is he? Where is that b*****d? How could he do this to us?"

"Patience, young one" spoke the one in robes, "First answer me this. Has your mother told you stories of the ancient Greek gods?"

He nodded cautiously. Where was she going with this?

"The stories are true. All of them. Greek gods still exist and from time to time they even interact with the human realm. Watch this." She flicked her wrist at the remains of what used to be Smelly Gabe. The largest piece that was remaining levitated itself and tore itself into tiny ribbons.

"You're gods?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, I am Nemesis and my friend here is Hecate" answered the woman in black.

"So my true father is a god?"

Hecate sighed. Children were so impatient these days. "We were getting there. You are a son of Poseidon, god of the seas."

Percy was quiet. Was being a god a good enough excuse to condemn humans to such a fate? Or was he just taking out his anger at his mother's death on his birth father, who he knew next to nothing about? As he pondered, he suddenly remembered his audience who were waiting patiently for him to digest that information. They were gods too, yet they said that they were going to help him. He decided to trust them, at least for now.

"Now that you've come back to us, we'd like to talk to you about a few things." said Nemesis gravely "We want to offer you a deal. Poseidon is a jerk, but he was right about one thing. Gods cannot affect the human realm directly. We can't help you directly either, but we can offer you a choice and a give you a few gifts."

"What choice? Why can't you help me?"

"That's how the gods function. The Olympians abandon you, then they expect you to sacrifice everything for them. A few us 'minor' gods don't like that. So we came here to offer you this choice. Stay a son of Poseidon and remain a tool of Olympus or become a mortal and become your own person." explained Hecate "However, even if you choose to be mortal, you are still a part of our world, you cannot change that. You are inescapably joined to us."

"How would being a mortal be different? Also, don't get me wrong, but what do you gain from this?"

Nemesis grinned. This was it, her chance to shine. "As a son of Poseidon, you have rudimentary hydrokinesis and can create small scale seismic waves. What we want to do is remove the godly portions of your blood and replace it with that of a clear sighted mortal. We realize that the trade off is large, so we will bless the mortal blood making it more potent. This will give you a vast array of powers because of the large number of gods blessing it."

"Clear sighted? You mean like my mom?"

Hecate sucked in air slightly and Nemesis stiffened, but that was all he needed to know.

"You still haven't answered, what do you gain from this?"

"Two things really. Firstly, there will be one less tool for Poseidon and the Olympians to use. Secondly, minor gods like us, will get more representation on Olympus. There is a prophecy about a child of Zeus, Poseidon or Hades. While we don't know the contents, we do know that it is important. By backing you, we can ensure that we are treated better and that we are given the authority and basic respect that Olympus denies us." explained Hecate.

"Are there any disadvantages for me?"

Nemesis nodded. What she was about to do could blow up in their faces later, but it was necessary. She took a deep breath. "There is a cost. By taking this deal, you will sacrifice your heroism. You will no longer feel 'compelled' by your blood to do heroic things. I have no idea how this will affect your personality though, that depends on you entirely."

Perseus thought back to the events that occurred earlier in the day. He thought of how his attempt to help and do the right thing had caused his mother's death. Her body was still in his hands, his shirt was dyed red with her blood and it was all thanks to his attempts to be a hero.

"I'll do it. There is no such thing as a hero, only inevitable circumstances and human nature."


End file.
